Up Your Score: ACT, 2014-2015 Edition: The Underground Guide Author: Chris Arp | Language: English | ISBN:
0761174397 | Format: PDF
Up Your Score: ACT, 2014-2015 Edition: The Underground Guide Description
Yes, kids, there is an alternative to the big, bad SAT—it’s called the ACT. And yes, there’s now an alternative to the big, bad, boring ACT study books: Up Your Score: ACT, the prep and survival guide with attitude.
Like Up Your Score: SAT, Up Your Score: ACT is the underground guide for the 1.65 million kids who take the ACT every year (more than take the SAT). It’s written by Chris Arp, age 26, a Princeton graduate, along with his colleagues at Manhattan’s prestigious Veritas Test Prep company and three high school seniors who each scored an ACT-perfect 36. They take the guerrilla guide Up Your Score approach of combining a thorough knowledge of how the test works and the subjects it covers with for-student, by-student tips and strategies; lively pop culture references and jokes; and a fresh knowledge of what it’s like to actually take the test.
Ace the reading section by developing the Five Habits of Lean Forward Reading, including Treat reading like a conversation and Pay attention to direction words. Master the math section through techniques like “plugging in,” an amazing trick that simplifies all algebra word problems. The ACT is heavy on grammar, so the book delves into commas, semicolons, pronouns, transitions, and more. It covers the science the way the test does—showing how to use science reasoning. Plus—how to make GameFace Quintuple Sugar Blast Bars for that needed burst of energy.
- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (July 30, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0761174397
- ISBN-13: 978-0761174394
- Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
I think it's an accurate assumption that we parents are typically the buyers of these kinds of books, and that when we hand our kids the telephone book sized prep books we've purchased the kids are hardly pleased. What a surprise it was when this book came to my house. Don't get me wrong, this is not a small book, but it has a more manageable feel and it didn't cause my son to run screaming from the room. That's already a good start from my perspective. That said, the proof is in the pudding.
I read these books too. In part, so that my kid isn't suffering alone, but mostly because I want to know how information is being presented and how I can help the process. I began to read UYS-ACT only to find that this one is different from the others out there. It's funny, approachable, and gets to the root of the situation without alienating the reader. The author and the three student contributors really feel like benevolent guides, as opposed to the cold omniscient narrators one finds in the other test prep books.
I have to say that the humor throughout this book is part of what sets it apart. Imagine your child plodding through a math problem that has stymied him/her. S/he then reads a section that is intended to illuminate said problem and instead of pulling out his/her hair with eyes glazed, s/he's smiling or even laughing. Now that moment of frustration or fatigue has lightened and his/her brain is a little clearer, ready to absorb the information needed to figure this problem out. That scenario happens again and again throughout this book. What a contrast.
I handed my 13 yr old (who is prepping for the SSAT) this book in order to read about test anxiety and how to study. And guess what, he laughed too. He also really liked the illustrations.
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